Collaborative Knowledge Exchange and Innovation
Whatever the size of your business, you can leverage the expertise of our academic research teams for collaborative knowledge exchange and innovation projects.
We will work closely with you to scope and co-design projects to meet your specific requirements and to identify potential funding sources.
Common sources of funding and support for these types of projects include Interface Innovation Vouchers, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Innovate UK funding calls.
The Interface Innovation Voucher schemes enable collaborative knowledge exchange and innovation projects between Scottish companies and Scotland's universities, colleges, and research institutes.
Under these programmes, Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Scottish Enterprise (SE) funds are awarded by Interface to support collaboration between businesses and academics with the expertise to support them to innovate and grow. Companies can be Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), sole traders, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations across all industry sectors.
A variety of Innovation Vouchers are available to meet the needs of businesses through the different stages of their innovation journey, with project duration typically being several months.
For more information, visit
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) projects are three-way partnerships between a business, a university and a recent graduate (the KTP Associate) that last for 1-3 years.
The aim of a KTP is for the three partners to complete a strategic project that delivers an innovative solution to a challenge(s) faced by the business.
There are two types of KTP project:
- Classic KTPs, which focus on developing new or better products or services.
- Management KTPs, which focus on improving a business's systems, processes and management capabilities (public sector organisations are only eligible to apply for Management KTPs).
KTP projects are part-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) at the following rates, with the business covering the remaining costs:
- Charities: 75% funding
- SMEs: 67% funding
- Large businesses: 50% funding
KTP projects can help your business to:
- Access the UK's world-class knowledge base and resources.
- Accelerate innovation.
- Embed specialist knowledge and expertise within your business.
- Increase revenue and profit through access to new markets and development or improvement of products, services and processes.
For more information, visit
is the UK's innovation agency and one of the nine UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils.
Innovate UK helps UK businesses to grow by supporting them to develop and commercialise new products, processes and services.
To explore current funding opportunities, use the UKRI Funding Finder
